Paralegal Specialist

Introduction

Are you seeking your next opportunity with a strong passion for tax law? If so, look no further, we encourage you to consider joining our team! The State of Connecticut, Department of Revenue Services (DRS) is recruiting a Paralegal Specialist within the Legal Services Bureau. This position will be located in our Downtown Hartford office at 450 Columbus Boulevard.

What We Can Offer You:

• Visit our State Employee Benefits Overview page!
• Professional growth and development opportunities.
• A healthy work/life balance to all employees.

Position Highlights:

The Paralegal Specialists will work under the direction of, and continuously learn from, DRS' Tax Litigation Director and DRS' General Counsel. This position will be located in the Litigation Subdivision and will assist the Tax Attorneys in the Litigation Subdivision with preparing bankruptcy claims.

• Be exposed to all aspects of Connecticut tax law and associated collections law across all 40+ of Connecticut's state taxes;
• Work side by side with DRS' litigation tax attorneys to protect the Commissioner's interests in bankruptcy litigation and to aid in ensuring DRS' collections efforts are equitable, legal, and fair;
• Coordinate the Commissioner's interests in bankruptcy litigation with the Office of the Attorney General;
• Assist in the preparation and filing of bankruptcy claims; and
• Research issues and draft routine memoranda, affidavits, and other legal documents.

Work Schedule

These positions will work on first shift, from 9:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M., Monday to Friday. Hybrid.

Our Mission

The mission of the Department of Revenue Services is to instill public confidence in the integrity and fairness of tax collection; achieve the highest level of voluntary taxpayer compliance; continuously improve agency performance; contribute to the fiscal and economic well-being of the state; and provide a positive and professional workplace.

Purpose of Job Class (Nature of Work)

In a state agency this class is accountable for providing advanced paralegal support in a highly complex legal unit. This class provides advanced technical leadership, research and consultation in the areas of preparing draft legal documents and draft decisions of highly complex cases, and is a resource regarding issues, procedures, process and timeframe as related to cases and presenting legal matters as needed.

Examples of Duties

Legal Office Operations

• Interprets complex state statutes and federal regulations governing legal records and documents;
• Determines and applies applicable state statute and/or regulation in preparing documentation;
• Interprets court rules and agency policies and regulations;
• Keeps abreast of the latest court rules, calendar changes and pending legislation;
• Monitors and adheres to court deadlines;
• Reviews legal documents and prepares legal documents such as briefs, writs and pleadings for court filings;
• Responds to relevant case information requests from courts;
• Performs legal research and analysis of law sources such as statutes, legal articles, legal decisions, opinions, rulings, memoranda and other legal material;
• Prepares draft legal documents;
• Provides assistance in the discovery process;
• Provides paralegal assistance by interpreting applicable legal provisions, regulations, precedents and policies;
• Responds to requests and obtains information of sensitive nature;
• Acts as liaison between agency, court system, relevant attorney’s offices and general public;
• Serves as agency liaison regarding relevant policies and procedures;
• Prepares legal and administrative reports;
• Updates and maintains case records, pleadings, policy manuals and filing systems;
• Assists in the drafting of proposed legislation and advisory opinions; provides training and assistance to staff;
• May perform business mathematical computations;
• Performs related duties as required.

Case Presentation or Hearing

• Analyzes highly complex cases;
• Develops positions and strategies to settle or litigate cases at formal or informal hearings;
• Prepares for and represents the state’s interest at hearings or through case presentation;
• Researches and gathers relevant evidence and documentation;
• Interviews witnesses and clients;
• Drafts legal documents, complaints, stipulations, detailed memoranda, letters and proposed findings and awards reviews substantiation appeals and provides recommendation to management regarding the legal sufficiency of substantiation findings;
• Performs related duties as required.

Knowledge, Skill and Ability

Considerable knowledge of legal processes and procedures; legal terminology and legal forms; legal research techniques; Knowledge of relevant agency policies and procedures; and the ability to interpret and apply relevant state and federal laws, statutes, regulations and legislation; Considerable interpersonal skills; oral and written communication skills; skill in fact finding techniques including interviewing clients and compiling evidence; Considerable ability to evaluate pertinent facts, cases and evidence and compile and assemble such legal data; compose correspondence and draft legal documents; Ability to understand complex laws and related reports; utilize computer software.

Minimum Qualifications - General Experience

• A Bachelor’s degree in legal studies and one (1) year of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney;
• An Associate’s degree in legal studies and three (3) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney;
• Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program approved by the American Bar Association and three (3) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney;
• Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program consisting of a minimum of twenty-four (24) semester hours from an accredited college or university and four (4) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney;
• Completion of a Paralegal or Legal Assistance Certificate Program from a business school approved by the State of Connecticut, Office of Higher Education and four (4) years of experience providing paraprofessional legal assistance to an attorney;
• A Law degree from an accredited Law School.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with federal and Connecticut civil litigation including e-filing and preparation of routine pleadings, motions, memoranda, and settlement agreements.
• Experience conducting routine legal research.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

This employer may participate in E‑Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I‑9 information to confirm work authorization.

Note: The only way to apply to this posting is via the ‘Apply’ or ‘Apply Online’ buttons on the official State of Connecticut Online Employment Center job posting.

Salary Calculations: For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.

Note: This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State employees, available at

The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.

Acknowledgement

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.